Srinagar, June 1: In a bid to check dog menace, which has assumed alarming proportions in the City, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation has taken the task of segregating the stray and other canines by starting “census” of pet dogs.
 The civic body wants that all pet dogs in Srinagar be registered with the authorities and should wear proper belts or else they would be taken to task.
 Vide a public notification for “pet dog owners” published in newspapers, the SMC Commissioner, Sheikh Mushtaq Wednesday asked the pet owners to get the formalities completed within a month.
 “In pursuance of section 304 of Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Corporation Act 2000…  All pet dogs within the limits of Municipal Corporation Srinagar shall be registered with the “Registering Authority” within a period of one month,” Mushtaq said in the notification.
 He added: “All registered dogs shall be wearing the collar to be issued by the Registering Authority against the payment of fee as prescribed.”
 He said “Any dog, which is not registered or which is not wearing such metal token shall, if found in any public place, be detained at a place set apart for the purpose.” Mushtaq said the "census" of stray dogs was also being undertaken.
 The segregation is being seen in response to the recent High Court directions that the City be made “free of stray dogs” and that the packs be restricted to ponds to be constructed outside the summer capital.
 Sources said before starting the drive to catch the stray packs, Mushtaq found it vital to get the segregation done before hand.
 “Once the ponds are in place the stray dogs have to be caught on war footing, which is within a month, so the pet ones needed to be segregated,” said an official at SMC requesting not to be named.
 Last month in a significant development the state High Court directed the government to catch all the stray dogs and confine them to ponds. The drive is expected to be completed in two months.
 Pertinently there are estimated over one lakh dogs on prowl in the summer capital while thousands of humans have been bitten by them. Scores of people have even died in the canine attacks.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 1 Jun 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 1 Jun 2011 18:30:00 GMT
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